Neocosmospora hengyangensis Z.Q. Zeng & W.Y. Zhuang, 2017

Zeng, Zhao-Qing & Zhuang, Wen-Ying, 2017, Two new species of Neocosmospora from China, Phytotaxa 319 (2), pp. 175-183 : 179-180

Neocosmospora hengyangensis Z.Q. Zeng & W.Y. Zhuang , sp. nov. FIGURE 3 .

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the type locality.

Fungal Names: FN570411.

Mycelium not visible around ascomata or on natural substrata. Ascomata superficial, solitary to gregarious, non-stromatic, subglobose to globose, lateral collapse upon drying, orange-red to orange-brown, turning brownish red in KOH, becoming slightly yellow in LA, 176−245 × 186−235 μm (n = 10). Perithecial surface slightly warted, warts 15−35 μm high, of textura globose to t. angularis, cells 14−25 × 8−16 μm, walls 1.2−1.5 μm thick. Perithecial wall of two layers, 20−40 μm thick; outer layer of textura globose to t. angularis, 16−32 μm thick, cells 8−18 × 5−8 μm, walls 1−1.2 μm thick; inner layer of textura prismatica, 4−8 μm thick, cells 10−14 × 3−5 μm, walls 0.8−1 μm thick. Asci clavate, 8-spored, with a simple apex, (48−)53−75(−80) × 5−8 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal to subfusiform, 1-septate, light brown, smooth, uniseriate or biseriate above and uniseriate below, 9–13 × 4.5–5 μm.

Colony on PDA growing fast, 78 mm diam after 1 week at 25 °C, surface velvety, aerial mycelium white, producing light pinkish pigment in medium. Colony on SNA 76 mm diam after 1 week at 25 °C, surface with sparse whitish aerial mycelium. Conidiophores arising from aerial mycelium, simply branched, indefinite in length, 40–150 μm long, 2–3 μm at base. Macroconidia sickle-shaped, hyaline, smooth, slightly curved, 4–6-septate, 4-septate: 33−55 × 2.5–3 μm, 5-septate: 43−55 × 2.8–4 μm, 6-septate: 53−60 × 3.5–5 μm. Microconidia allantoid to rod-shaped, smooth, slightly curved, aseptate, 3−9 × 1–3 μm.

Type: — CHINA. Hunan, Hengyang, Gouloufeng , 27°07’36.15”N, 112°37’47.02”E, alt. 800m, on twigs, 24 Oct 2015, Z.Q. Zeng, X.C. Wang, K. Chen & Y.B. Zhang 10235 ( HMAS 254518 ! holotype) ; dried ex-type culture, HMAS 248884 .

Notes: —Among the known species of Neocosmospora , N. hengyangensis is most similar to N. haematococca in subglobose, orange-red, warted perithecia that collapse laterally upon drying, clavate asci with ellipsoidal to subfusiform ascospores that are equally two celled ( Nalim et al. 2011). However, N. haematococca differs in having larger perithecia (310−335 × 285−310 μm vs. 176−245 × 186−235 μm), asci [(70−)72−85(−92) × (10.5−)11.2−13.5 μm vs. (48−)53−75(−80) × 5−8 μm)], and ascospores [(13.7−)15.2−17.7(−19.7) × (6−)6.5−8(−9) μm vs. 9–13 × 4.5–5 μm], and lack of the capacity of producing microconidia in culture ( Nalim et al. 2011). Sequence comparisons reveal that there are 44 bp and 52 bp divergences in the ITS and tef1 regions between N. hengyangensis ( HMAS 254518) and the isotype of N. haematococca (FRCS 1832) .

The BLASTN search indicates that N. hengyangensis shares 98% sequence similarity with N. solani (SZ494414) for the ITS region, and has 13 bp unmatched loci among 718 bp for tef1 ( N. solani 305). Our phylogenetic analysis supports the recognition of N. hengyangensis as a well-separated taxon. It formed an independent terminal branch associated with N. falciformis , N. ipomoeae , F. keratoplasticum , N. rubicola and N. solani receiving low support ( Fig. 1 , MPBP = 51%).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic tree generated by maximum parsimony analysis inferred from the combined ITS and tef1 partial sequences. The new taxa introduced are in bold. MPBP (left) above 50% and BIPP (right) above 90% are indicated at nodes.

FIGURE 3. Neocosmospora hengyangensis (HMAS 254518). a−c. Ascomata on natural substrate. d. Ascomata after rehydration. e. Colony on PDA. f. Colony on SNA. g. Section of an ascoma. h. An ascus with ascospores. i−l. Ascospore. m−o. Conidiophores and microconidia. p, q. Macroconidium. r, s. Microconidia. Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b−d = 0.5 mm, g = 50 μm, h−s = 10 μm.